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Riff Tone

Guitar Solo (Live at New Haven Veterans Memorial Coliseum, New Haven, CT, 8/27/1986) [2026 Remaster]

Van Halen

Guitarrock1980s

Original Gear

GuitarKramer 5150 (custom, red with white/black stripes, maple neck, Floyd Rose, single humbucker)
AmpMarshall Super Lead 1959 100-watt (modded with Variac, EL34s, 1968 spec, into 4x12 cabs with Celestion G12M speakers)

Amp Settings

gain8
bass6

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Effects & Signal Chain

Notes

Live performance, 1986; Eddie's main rig for the 5150 tour. Used a wet/dry/wet setup with center dry cab and left/right cabs with digital delay (Roland SDE-3000). No pedal overdrive/distortion; all gain from amp. Effects loop not used; delays split post-amp. No chorus or phaser/flanger on riff section.

Tone Character(9)
tight and percussiveaggressive and articulateBritish crunchfocused midrange punchsinging sustaindynamic pick attackdry, unprocessedslight amp sag from Variachigh-output humbucker clarity

Difficulty

The riff requires fast, tight alternate picking with aggressive palm muting and precise timing, demanding advanced right-hand technique and dynamic control typical of Eddie Van Halen's rhythm work.

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Guitar Solo (Live at New Haven Veterans Memorial Coliseum, New Haven, CT, 8/27/1986) [2026 Remaster] by Van Halen — Riff Tone Settings | ToneAdapt